My Trick That Makes Waxing Less Painful

Waxes are painful. There’s no way around it. Taking two aspirin 30 minutes before has more of a placebo effect than anything else, if you ask me. But a girl’s got to figure out some way to get through it. I have two tricks that I use simultaneously, and I swear they work (one even comes expert recommended).

I can’t recall exactly how I came across this one, probably by accident (like most genius discoveries). The trick is to suck on a Jolly Rancher during your appointment—I imagine any hard candy will do, but I haven’t tested that theory. Maybe it’s just because I love candy, maybe it’s a sugar high kicking in, or maybe it’s the sheer distraction, but for whatever reason, a Jolly Rancher (apple or watermelon, preferably) makes waxing hurt less. My waxes are noticeably more painful when I forget to employ my little trick.

I’m not saying enjoying a small piece of hard candy turns a painful bikini wax into a soothing foot massage, but every little bit counts when there’s a spatula of hot wax coming at you. For the really tough spots—you know the ones—cough. That’s right, instead of holding your breath as the esthetician rips the strip off (which happens to be the worst thing you can do to manage the pain), cough. My esthetician taught me this trick during one particularly ouch-inducing session, out of pity, I’m sure. Focusing on making your body cough distracts you from the pain to the point where you almost don’t realize hair is being ripped from your body. I don’t use it for every strip, but for the worst ones, a Jolly Rancher plus a strategically timed cough does the trick.